Jet-operated air compressor



Oct. 2, 1923.

G. M KERAHAN JET OPERATED AIR COMPRESSOR mv'ENToR: a Mam/ZN,

Filed 001;. a, 1921 Patented can, 1923.

GEORGE irexnnennn for -.rr-'rrsnuaen, rnuns ytvanm;

JET-OPERATED AIR COIi IP E ESSOE. I

Application *ineaoct ber 8,

To all whom it may concern: 7 7V Be it known that I, GnononMoKnnArmmy a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the-county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Jet-Operated Air Compressors, of which the following is specification.

This invention relates to air compressors of the type i'nwhich ajet of water or steam is used as'the compressing agent.

In existing compressors'of' this class the combination of an adequate air supply and a confinedtruc piston action-is lacking sothat only a small part of the compressing fluids energy is utilized. The presentimprovement aims at placing large bodies of air directly in'the path of the jet with only a slight interruption of the current, at the same time both the air and the compressing fluid, during their whole passage, are confined so as to obtain an eifectivepiston action of the compressing agent.

These results a-re'accomplished bycausing air filled tubular'chambers to pass in rapid succession across the path of the jet and by making the jet nozzle of a transverse area and outline closely conforming to the like area and" outline of each of'the tubular;

air chambers of the 'wheel. The tubes are assembled about a central sha tton-which they rotate at high speed. This assembly of revolving tubesmay be termed an air charging wheel andwillhe so referred 'to in this specification] In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 shows'a vertical longitudinal section through the stationary casing which inc'loses the charging wheel'and also through the compression cylinder and discharge ipipes' in which the casing terminates. This section exposes a. full side view of the charging wheel. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the com prcssor. the compression cylinder at the right being broken away; at the jet end a part of the casing is removed exposing the interior of a portion of one of the wheel channels and showing the manner in which the jet is delivered to it. Fig. 3 is an end view of the jet end of the compressor, the bearing stand and jet nozzles being removed and the casing support not shown; and Fig. 4 is a face view of the upper nozzle. Fig. 5 shows on a reduced scale a sectional view of a. slightly different design ofthe co npressor which is explained later.

pression cylinder 3.

1921; "Seria1"1 1'0. 506 407.

Identical numbers refer to thesanieparts throughout the severalviews;

A stationary cylindrical casing I has a f tapering end 2 which converges to the coinpression cylinder 3 and terminates in an en larged discharge pipe 4. Closely fitting the interior of stationarycasing 1-2'is-a revolving air charging wheel 5 the small end The large jet end of 1 of which terminates atthe-entrance to 00111 Wheel 5 is supported by shait'ti which 'rotatesin bearing 7. A shaft 8 which supports the small end of the air charging wheel extends through compression cylinder 3 to a bearing 9, the latter being attached to the interior or discharge pipe 4 by radial ribs which afford free passage between them for the fluids. Shaft bearing 9 for this end of the charging wheel is carried beyond cylinder 3 so as not to obstruct the latter. Air charging wheel 5 consistsof channels 10 placed closely togetherand: concentric with the wheels shaft; in conjunction with the closely fitting stationary casing-1 these channels form tubes'to which the air and compressing fluid are confined laterally Stationary nozzles 11 and 12 deliver the' jets of water or steam to channels 10 as the latter revolve before the nozzles. As seenin Fig. 3 channels 10 are oblong-in cross section their longest sides being nearly radial; their 'separatingnvalls' 13 are made quite thin and at the jet end the wall fa c es are reduced to a knife edge as shown. This construction will oil'er very slight obstructionto the curverted into a seriesot closely fitting pistons hackwarcl leakage of the air is prevented By this construction the jet is conand a higher degree of compression is obtaine d.

Channels '10 are given a helical direction.

along the axisof the wheel as shown in Fig. 1, thereby causing the impact of the jets to give rotation to the wheel. in large compressors rotation may be given by a belt on pulley 17 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2Q

In this case the helical direction of channels 1 0 would preferably be retained in water jet compressors, so as to avoid giving a revolv-- ing motion and in urlous centr fugal act on to the water pistons- But when the wheel in r a steam-jet operated compressor is rotated by a pulley or other external means, the

helical form of the air chambers need not be used, but the chambers may be disposed straight and lengthwise around the shaft, because tire low specific weight of steam will be only slightly affected by. centrifugal action.

. A. singlegjet may be .used for all sizes of compressors, but the use of two which the charge into opposite channels of the wheel; as shown in the drawing; will afford a ba lanced and more effective delivery to coinprcssion cylinder 3, besides allowing the use a sn er charging wheel for equal capacity. For very'large compressors three or our jets may be used.

The volume of air placed before each water or steam piston will depend on the axiallength of the charging wheel, while the speed of tee wheel will determine the quantity or" water or steam delivered to each air charge; charge and delivery may be made so as to obtain, the best result.

A the small end of wheel 5 some ofthe channel walls 18 may be removed for a short distance as shown so as to prevent undue constriction of the passages.

Dischar e i e 4 would be connected to' a separating receiver which is not shown.

In the design shown in Fig. 5 the chargingwheel5 is tightly fitted within its casing i l and the latter revolves with the wheel. The

wheel joins stationary compression cylinder 3 by a revolving oint 15 which fits within the expandedend of cylinder 3 as shown. Parts broken away are the same as n Fig. l.

'The drawing shows the circumferenceof the I am awarethata jet operated blower has hus exact adjustment ot'air been devised in which the jet,' iby' impact upon the blades, gives rotation to a fan 'of the ordinary propeller type and thereby causing the fan to give blower movement to the air;

What I claim as new. is

1. In a operated air compressor, tubular air-chambers disposed around a'central shaft on WlllCll they revolve,'the length'of the tubular chambers ly ng in the 'Cl1ICCtlOTl of the shafts'length, and the transverse outline and area of said tubular chambers conforming respectively to the like outline and area oi the jet nozzles, each to each; one or more stationary jet nozzles which discharge into an end of: the revolving tubular air' chambers; the opposite end of the chamber wheel converging to a single compression.

chambers eonformin res ectivclv to the like outline and area of the jet nozzles, each to each;- one or morestationary jet nozzles which discharge into an end of the revolving tubular air chamber; the opposite end of the chamber wheel converging to a single compression tube which connects to a discharge pipe; and a pulley or other means attached to the shaft of. the air chamber wheel by which the wheel is rotated:

8. In a jet operated air compressor, tubular air chambers disposed helically [around a central shaft on which they are revolved by impact of the jet upon the helical chamber walls; one or more jet nozzles which dischargeinto an end of the revolving air chambers. the transverse outline and area of said nozzles conforming respectively to the lilreoutline and area of the said tubular air chambers each to each; and the opposite end of the chamber wheel converging to a single compression tube which connects to a discharge pipe.

shorten McKERAHAN. 

